The Ministry of Education plans to utilize a special budget of 10 billion NTD to promote a talent acquisition initiative aimed at higher education. This initiative is in response to the wave of retirements among teachers and changes in international circumstances.

To attract talent, the ministry will offer signing bonuses for newly hired teachers, retention bonuses within the first five years, and performance bonuses over the next ten years, specifically targeting newly appointed full-time faculty at research universities.

The goal is to provide additional funding to help institutions recruit talent, especially in areas facing shortages like electrical engineering and electronics.

Currently, the Legislative Yuan is reviewing a special bill proposed by the Executive Yuan, which includes a budget of 20 billion NTD for higher education talent cultivation as part of a larger 410 billion NTD initiative responding to international situations.

Yesterday, the Higher Education Department explained the budget planning for this special bill during the second day of a joint meeting of academic and administrative leaders from public and private universities for the 113th academic year.

Director Liao Gao-Hsien of the Higher Education Department noted that if the trend continues, about 24% of teachers in the electrical engineering sector will retire in the next five years, and about 43% in the next ten years. He also highlighted that the higher salaries offered in the industry attract many master’s degree graduates to work in the private sector.

Furthermore, U.S. tariff policies have caused a shift in talent, with many faculty members currently teaching in the U.S. expressing their desire to leave. The Ministry hopes to use part of the special budget to attract talent amid changes in the retirement system.

In this talent retention and acquisition plan, initial hiring instructors will be provided signing bonuses, a retention bonus set for the first five years, and a performance bonus for the 6th to 10th years. The signing bonus, retention bonus, and performance bonus will be deposited into a designated account for teachers, with the principle that the funds can only be accessed after ten years of service. However, schools can design methods to accommodate teachers' potential financial needs, subject to approval by the Ministry. If a teacher leaves before completing ten years of service, they can receive the signing bonus but not the retention or performance bonuses, aiming to encourage long-term employment.